A picture worth 999 words

Evelyn C. McDonald
Arts & Culture Reporter
September 14, 2016 12:20 p.m.

I have a confession to make and I’ll bet I’m not alone in this. I used to read comic books as a child and teenager. Superman, Looney Tunes, Classics Comics were ones I read and re-read. I remember my husband being appalled to learn that a lot of my knowledge of literature came from Classics Comics.

Comic books were great. Easy to read, colorful and inexpensive. They continue today both in print and as movies – Thor, The Avengers, Ironman among others. Fun, you might say, but not for serious readers.

Well folks, comic books have grown it a bit more adult. They have a new life as graphic novels. Almost every adult that I mention the term graphic novels to reacts with some dismay. I have to hastily add that I don’t mean pornographic (though some are). Graphic novels are popular with teenagers and a few adults that I know.

I got interested in reading them because my granddaughter is really into anime, a Japanese cartoon drawing style, and manga, the books containing anime. I wanted to get an idea of why she liked them. It’s a way of establishing a connection that I’ve found helpful. I’ve even listened to her favorite Korean pop band but that’s another story.
The first series I read was Saga and it was really graphic. In fact I would say if your teenager is reading Saga, don’t worry about the content of anything they are reading at school. Since then I’ve read Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series, a series called Echo, and am about to start one called Rachel Rising.

Once you read more than one series, you begin to appreciate the differences in the author’s use of the medium. Some series could just as easily have been written in words; Saga for one. Others like the Sandman series really utilize the drawings and colors to further the stories.

You might think that no reputable author would do “comic books” but Neil Gaiman is an award-winning children’s’ book author. Just this week, I saw a piece on a new graphic novel series written by Margaret Atwood who is certainly well-known. It will be called Angel BirdMan and tells the story of a fusion between a man, a cat, and a bird.
I’m not suggesting that graphic novels replace the contents of your bookshelves but they are probably worth a spin. Seeing a picture does do something to limit the use of your imagination. That’s why the skill of the author, illustrator and colorist are essential to the story. What better time to explore off the beaten path. Who knows? You may find something else to talk to your grandchildren about.

Evelyn McDonald moved to Fernandina Beach from the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. in 2006. She is a chair of Arts & Culture Nassau, a city commission charged with support of the arts in Nassau County. She serves on FSCJ’s Curriculum Committee for the Center for Lifelong Learning. She is also the chair of the Dean’s Council for the Carpenter Library at the UNF. Ms. McDonald has MS in Technology Management from the University of Maryland’s University College and a BA in Spanish from the University of Michigan.